Shoe and insole therefor



Dec. 24, 1940. F. sBlccA 2,226,392

SHOE AND NSOLE THEREFOR Filed April 8, 1959 2 SheeLs-Sheel l 'III/IllVII/IIA Rw INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Dec. 24, 1940. F. sBlccA SHOE AND INSOLETHEREFOR Filed April 8, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ffm /v/f B/CCA BYM7@ Mr ATTO R N EYS Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9Claims.

This invention relates to shoe and insole therefor and the manufacturethereof. This invention relates especially to shoe construction whereinthe upper has along the lower margin thereof portions of substantiallydiffering thickness as, for example, in the case of shoes having aplurality of spaced marginal portions such as straps secured between theinsole and sole with openings between the straps along the margin of thesole of the shoe.

Heretofore serious difficulties have been incident to the manufacture ofshoes of the character referred to due to unsightly gaps between theinsole and sole portions of the shoe and due to uneven marginal portionsof the insole of the shoe which cause discomfort to the wearer. It is apurpose of this invention to overcome difficulties of the characterreferred to.

It is a feature of this invention that novel lmeans are employed alongthe margin of the shoe and between the insole and sole portions thereofwhich serve to prevent the occurrence of unsightly gaps between the soleand the insole portions of a shoe and which cause the insole of the shoeto be even along the margin thereof, notwithstanding the fact that theupper of the shoe has spaced portions such as straps along the lowermargin of the upper with openings therebetween, which spaced portionsare disposed over the insole and between the insole and the sole of theshoe. Further features of this invention relate to the provision of aninsole having a strip of deformable material such as sponge rubber alongthe margin thereof. Additional features of this invention relate to themanufacture and assembling of the sole, insole and upper portions of ashoe so as to achieve the purposes and advantages referred tohereinabove.

Further purposes, features and advantages of this invention will beapparent in connection with the following description of certainspecific illustrative embodiments of this invention shown in theaccompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of theinsole part of a shoe embodying this invention, with the insole proper,stiiiener and strip of deformable material separated for purposes ofclarity;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the insole part of a shoe embodyingthis invention taken longitudinally of the insole;

Figure 3 is a detail view in sectional elevation of a marginal portionof the insole shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the parts somewhatenlarged;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an upper which can be used in themanufacture of a shoe embodying this invention, the upper being shown inan intermediate step in the manufacture thereof;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of .a portion of the upper shown in Figure4 taken on the line I-l 5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation through the ball portion of the shoetaken on the line i--l of Figure 8;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in sectional l0 elevation takenlongitudinally of the shoe along the line 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a completed shoe embodying thisinvention;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a 15 modified type ofinsole which may be used according to this invention;

Figure 10 is an enlarged detail view in sectional elevation of themarginal portion of the insole shown in Figure 9; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 6, exceptfor the inclusion in the assembled shoe of an insole of the modifiedtype shown in Figures 9 and 10.

Referring to the embodiment of this invention shown in Figures 1 to 8,the insole I2 may be of any suitable material such as leather, rubber,fibrous composition or the like. The insole is shown as being optionallyprovided with a beveled portion I3 at the ball of the insole around anopening that is covered by sheet I4. The insole is preferably providedwith a stiffener I5 which can be attached to the insole along the heeland shank portions thereof by any suitable means such as cement and/orstitching Il. Along the marginal portion of the insole is a strip I6 ofsubstantial thickness of deformable material such as readily deformablerubber, e. g., sponge rubber. In the particular embodiment shown thestrip of sponge rubber has a thin fabric backing I1 cemented thereto.The strip of sponge rubber I6 and backing I1 are stitched along theunderside of the margin of the insole by stitching I8. A bindingindicated generally by the reference character I9 is placed around themargin of the insole so as to cover the edge portion of the insole andthe strip I6. The binding .in the embodiment here shown consists of athin fabric 20 underlying and cemented to a sheet 2| of material such asleather which presents an ornamental external surface. The binding isattached to the margin of the insole by any suitable means such asstitching 22.

In the shoe shown in the accompanying drawings the upper is indicatedgenerally by the referstrap members, each strap member consisting ofseveral thicknesses or layers of material such as leather or fabric, orboth, the different layers being united together as by stitching 23, orby a cement, or both. The lower margin oi the upper consists of spacedportions 25 with openings 24 of various sizes and shapes therebetween.These spaced marginal portions 25 of the upper are disposed over theinsole (see particularly Figure 6) and lie between the margin of theoutsole 26 and the margin of the insole I2. Referring particularly toFigure '7, it is to be noted that the strip i6 of deformable material isat and between the portions 25 of the upper along the insole of the shoeand that the strip i6 is compressed where the portions 25 of the upperoccur so as to be of substantially reduced thickness as compared withthe portions of the strip along the margin of the shoe where theopenings between the portions 25 of the upper occur.

The outsole may be attached to the insole and to the portions 25 of theupper and the portions 25 of the upper may be secured to the lower sideof the insole by any suitable means such as ad hesive 21. Instead of anadhesive any other securing means may be used, for example, stitching.Overlying the insole a suitable sock lining 28 may be used. If desired,the sock lining 28 may have a small seam or folded back portion alongthe margin.

Using the construction hereinabove described, it is possible toeliminate gaps between the outsole and insole portions of the shoe.Notwithstanding the fact that the straps out of which the upper is madehave portions 25 comprising a plurality of layers of leather interposedbetween the outsole and the insole along the margin of the sole of theshoe and that said portions are spaced apart with openings therebetween,the strip i6 of deformable material compensates for the tendency of theportions 25 to unduly separate the margin of the insole from the marginof the outsole between said spaced portions of the upper due to the factthat the deformable strip is compressed to reduced thickness where theportions 25 occur. Notwithstanding the tendency of the portions 25 toseparate the margins of the outsole and insole the strip I6 tends tocause the space between the insole and outsole along concurrent marginsthereof where the portions 25 of the upper do not occur, to besubstantially completely lled. In this manner unsightly gaps between themargins of the insole and outsole along the margin of the shoe areeliminated. Moreover, the upper surface of the insole is made more evenso that there is no risk of the shoe being uncomfortable to the wearerdue to irregularities in the insole caused by the portions 25 of theupper.

While an upper of a shoe such as that shown in Figure 8 can be made inany suitable manner, it is preferably made by first stitching the straps30 to a sheet 3| of leather or other suitable material having thegeneral shape desired for the upper of the shoe. The straps 30 can bebuilt up, if desired, as by the use of a strip of fabric or othermaterial 4| and the straps have overlying portions as shown. Sheet 3|can be made up in one piece or can be made up in a plurality of pieceswhich are subsequently stitched together as by stitching 33. If there isany part of the shoe which is to protrude from the upper such as thebuckle strap 34, a separate piece of sheet material 35 can be stitchedthereto. After 2,226,392 .ence character 29 and consists of a pluralityof the upper has been made in this way the sheet material 3| can be cutaway along the edges of the straps 30 so as to produce an upper in theform of openwork and of the type shown in Figure 8.

The upper is assembled with the outsole and insole parts of the shoe inany desired way with the strip I6 of deformable material between theinsole and outsole along the margins thereof to produce a shoeconstruction of the character mentioned above. T'he insole is preferablyfirst formed with the strip I8 of deformable material secured theretoprior to the final assembly and securing together of upper, insole, andoutsole parts of the shoe. In the assembly the marginal portion of theshoe is subjected to suicient pressure to compress the strip I6 ofdeformable material so as to make it of substantially reduced thicknesswhere the portions 25 of the upper occur between the outsole and insoleparts of the shoe. If the upper is lasted over the insole, the portions25 of the upper are subjected to pressure during the lasting operationso as to compress the strip I6 where the strip I6 is between theportions 25 and the insole. The upper, outsole and insole parts of theshoe may be secured together using any desired securing means such asstitching, cement, nails or the like, or any desired combination of suchsecuring means. A heel 42 is secured in place in any desired way.

An alternative embodiment of this invention is shown in Figures 9, 10and 11. Instead of sewing a strip of deformable material to the marginof the insole and then placing a common binding around the margin of theinsole and around the strip of deformable material, the binding which isused can be made up so as to include a layer of deformable material. Asshown in Figures 9, 10 and 11, the insole |2 has a binding secured tothe margin thereof by the stitching 35. 'I'he bindingV includes a layer3'|of substantial thicknesswhich is made of some deformable materialsuch as sponge rubber. Overlying this layer is a thin layer 38 of fabricand an overlying layer 39 of some suitable material such as leather orrubber presenting an ornamental outer surface. If desired, the differentlayers can be bonded together by a suitable cement. When theconstruction shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11 is used the deformablematerial on the underside of the insole is compressed r where theportions 25 of the upper occur in the manner referred to hereinabove.The deformable material in the same plane as the insole along the edgethereof permits the upper to be pushed snugly against the edge of theinsole so as to present an attractive and substantially uniform edgealong and adjacent the margin of the outsole of the shoe. It will beobserved from Figs. 7 and 8 for example that the degree of resiliencyrequired of the resilient or deformable material is such as to cause itto press permanently against all adjacent parts of said sole, insole andstraps between which it lies and to ll permanently all spaces betweensaid adjacent parts.

While reference has been made to the use of rubber, e. g., spongerubber, as a preferable material for the strip or layer of deformablematerial, other readily deformable substances or compositions may beused which may be either of a plastic, elastic or resilient character.The material of the deformable strip should be capable of being deformedand compressed under pressures that can be used in assembling the upper,insole and outsole portions of a shoe.

Normally in the practice of this invention it is desirable to secure thestrip of deformable material to the insole before the insole isassembled with the other parts of the shoe, thus producing a preformedinsole having the uses and advantageous characteristics referred toherein. This, however, is not essential in the practice of thisinvention. Moreover, the strip of deformable material may be positionedso as to underlie the portions 25 of the upper and be between theseportions and the outsole. In general, the positioning of the strip ofdeformable material should be between the insole and the outsole of theshoe along the marginal portions thereof at and between the separatedportions of increased thickness of the upper and thereby compensate forthe tendency of the said separated portions of the upper such asportions 25 to unduly separate the marginal portions of the outsole andinsole portions of the shoe along the margins thereof.

While this invention has been described above in connection with anupper having lower marginal portions which are spaced leaving openingstherebetween, it is apparent that some of the advantages of thisinvention may be availed of whenever the upper is produced so as to havealong the lower margin thereof portions differing substantially inthickness. For example. if the upper when in the condition shown inFigure 4 were to be assembled with the sole and insole portions of theshoe without cutting away the sheet material 3l between the straps 30,the shoe construction according to this invention would still beadvantageous in compensating for the differences in thickness of themarginal portion of the upper that occurs between the insole and outsoleportions of the shoe.

The materials out of which the outsole, insole and upper part of theshoe are made are, of course, optional in the practice of thisinvention. Any suitable material may be used such as leather, fabric,fiber composition, rubber and the like, or any combination of thesematerials. While the specific types of binding materials for the marginof the insole have been described herein, it will be understood that thebinding materials can be made of a single or of a plurality of layers,as may be desired. Moreover, binding materials may even be omitted.While this invention has been described in connection with a ladys shoe,it is apparent that this invention may be embodied in any type of shoe,sandal, slipper or the like. More generally, it is to be understood thatthe specific embodiments of this invention as shown in the drawings anddescribed herein are merely illustrative and that structures embodyingthis invention are subject to considerable variation within the scope ofthis invention. The scope of this invention is to be governed by thelanguage of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe comprising an outsole, an insole and an upper having portionsof substantially dinering thickness along the lower margin thereofdisposed under said insole between said insole and said outsole, and astrip of substantial thickness of sponge rubber material along andbetween the margins of said outsole and insole arranged to compensatepermanently for the differences in thickness of said portions of saidupper disposed under said insole along said margins of said outsole andinsole.

2. A shoe comprising an outsole, an insole, and an upper having spacedportions along the lower margin thereof with openings between saidportions, said portions being disposed under said insole between saidinsole and said outsole, and said insole beingprovided with a strip ofsubstantial thickness of sponge rubber material secured thereto on theunderside of said insole along the margin of said insole at and betweensaid spaced portions of said upper and being compressed to reducedthickness where said spaced portions of said upper occur.

3. A shoe according to claim 2 and which comprises a binding presentingan ornamental external surface about the margin of said insole andcovering said strip.

4. An insole comprising a sheet material of suitable outline for use asan insole, said sheet material having secured to at least one sidethereof along the margin thereof a strip of sponge rubber material.

5. An insole comprising a sheet material of suitable outline for use asan insole, said sheet material having secured to at least one sidethereof along the margin thereof, a strip of substantial thickness ofsponge rubber material, and the margin of said insole together with saidstrip of sponge rubber material being covered by a common bindingsecured to said insole.

6. An insole comprising a sheet material of suitable outline for use asan insole, said sheet material having secured thereto along the entiremarginal outline thereof a binding comprising a strip of substantialthickness of sponge rubber material.

'1. An insole comprising a sheet material of suitable outline for use asan insole, said sheet material having secured thereto along the marginthereof a binding comprising a layer of substantial thickness of spongerubber material and a layer overlying said layer of sponge rubbermaterial presenting an ornamental outer surface.

8. An insole comprising a sheet material of suitable outline for use asan insole, said sheet material having secured to at least one sidethereof along the entire marginal outline a strip of substantialthickness of sponge rubber.

9. An insole for use with shoes wherein straps are secured between theinsole and outsole leaving openings between the straps along the marginof the outsole, said insole comprising a sheet material of suitableoutline having secured thereto along the entire marginal outline thereofa binding comprising a strip of substantial thickness of sponge rubberwhich is adapted to be deformed in the regions thereof overlying thesaid straps without substantially deforming the insole overlying saidstraps, and which is adapted to remain substantially undeformed in thesaid openings whereby unsightly gaps between the insole and said outsoleare completely filled and permanently eliminated in said shoe.

FRANK SBICCA.

